You Did Good
by sierendipity
Summary: Midnight negotiations, necessary intervention, a wager and the best/worst ending Lily Evans could have hoped for.


**For KyraStorm's "Best First Kiss" Challenge. Please read and review **

"Thanks, Lily. I had a wonderful time."

"You know so did I. I haven't had that much fun in ages."

Benjy smiled at her and inched forward. As hesitant as Lily was about snogging a boy rin the entrance hall, she thought she might fancy him and didn't want him to feel snubbed. So, doing the only logical thing, she closed her eyes and the gap between their faces and kissed him.

Pulling back, Lily felt a bit deflated. Not that she was an expert on the art – Frank Longbottom under the mistletoe in second year and Francis Lurrin trying to French her in fifth wasn't the most impressive record – but wasn't she supposed to feel _something_? Maybe she hadn't done it right. Or was too distracted.

"Erm … mind if we try that again?"

Oddly, Benjy looked thrilled to oblige her. Surely it hadn't been spectacular for him, either? By the way in which he revisited her mouth, she presumed she'd been mistaken.

_Stop it. Focus._

So she did, putting her whole soul and energy and heart and everything else that should go into a kiss into this one.

Nothing.

His tongue was suddenly on her lips, which seemed like a fair enough cue to disengage. She couldn't decide whether she wanted her smile to look apologetic or star struck. It ended up just looking rather pained.

"Today was lovely! Thanks!"

Lily sped off, hoping fervently that she could find a way to avoid him tomorrow.

Once to her dormitories, Lily cracked open the door as quietly as possible.

"Tell me you snogged that beautiful man."

"For the love of Merlin! Marlene!"

Lily clutched at her heart as her eyes adjusted enough to the dark to see her friend's bouncing outline.

"So did you?"

Lily sighed, walking to sit next to her on the bed. It was best to get this over with quickly.

"Yes."

Marlene's resulting squeal was impressive, even for her.

"Good _Godric_ I would die to snog him! So gorgeous. And with fantastic hair. I daresay he is at _least_ as attractive as Remus, so you can stop ogling him every chance you get."

Lily rolled her eyes. "First of all, yes, he is very attractive. And _you_ are the one ogling Remus, don't pawn your crush off on me. It's not my fault I have to do rounds with the boy you're madly in love with."

Marlene moaned and fell back on the bed. "Fine. You're right. But that's not important right now – how is he?"

"Oh, he's wonderful. Kind, gentlemanly, thought –"

"No, you dolt! At _snogging_!"

"Oh."

"Uh oh. That bad, huh? Poor bloke."

"No, no, he's not bad at it at all … I just didn't feel much."

"Much? I hope you weren't expecting fireworks or some magical, starry transformation."

"Erm, no, not exactly. But some butterflies would be nice. Or anything distracting enough that I wasn't mentally revisiting my other kissing escapades for the entire duration of this one."

"Oh, Lily. Do not tell me you were thinking of feel-you-up Francis and freaked out Frank in the middle of it! Must have been awful."

"Not awful. Just not …"

"Good."

Lily couldn't do much but look apologetic.

"So the date was a flop?"

"No – not at all. The date was perfect. He took me to all my favourite Hogsmeade shops and snuck me out of the village a little ways down to a darling muggle café for supper. He bought me butterbeer and we chatted and strolled and laughed and he held my hand at the right moment and never stared at the curvy waitress even when she was basically throwing herself at him. It rained some and he said I looked beautiful. It's just …."

"The kiss."

Lily buried her face in her pillow. "Yes. And now I'm not sure how to face him."

"Lily!"

The door swung open to reveal a frazzled looking, sixth year girl.

"Dorcas! What's the matter?"

"James is about to leave the common room and he looks suspicious."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "James always looks suspicious. It's fine."

Lily was already up and moving.

"Lils! Come on. It's not your responsibility."

"Yes it is. I'm a prefect. Someone has to stop him from doing whatever it is he's planning on doing."

"You're not on duty."

"And you think the fifth year prefects are equipped to handle him and his lot?"

"Why is it that all the other sixth year prefects are allowed to slack off and you are still doing double the work?"

"I'll be back." Lily stepped around Dorcas and ran down the stairs. Sure enough, the portrait was just swinging shut. Lily strode across the common room and followed him.

Naturally, she couldn't see anyone nearby. She knew exactly why and rolled her eyes.

"Potter! Wherever you are, take off that cloak!"

There was no motion from anywhere, so she jogged down the hall. "Potter! Potter! Where –"

"Quit squawking, Evans!"

In a moment she'd been tugged under the cloak with him.

"And what do you think _you_ are up to?"

"Nothing you would understand, Evans. You should go back to bed."

Lily's brow furrowed, irritated both by his superior tone and her inability to concentrate properly with him so close.

"No, Potter, _you_ should go back to bed. _I'm_ the prefect."

"And I'm thrilled for you – really chuffed – but you're either coming with me or I'm going to have to push passed you."

"You don't think I can stop you?"

"Not tonight you can't."

He moved invisibility cloak from around her head, and she knew she only had moments before he disappeared again. Without thinking, she reached up, grabbed the cloak, and yanked it back around herself.

"Fine. Whatever it is you're doing, someone needs to keep you in line."

He flashed her _that_ smile and her heart stopped.

"Then let's go, Evans."

She followed him down several staircases and to the entry hall. She had no idea where he could be leading her, but by now it didn't matter. There was no way she could change her mind. And she wouldn't want to. As much as she hated James Potter (right?) he was compelling – more so than anyone she'd ever known.

"Potter! Potter, where are we going?"

"Shh … Evans, no more talking."

"Fine."

They were heading towards the Black Lake – she thought … until he veered in the opposite direction. There was nothing there except…

"Not the Forbidden Forest!"

"Evans!"

"Sorry … shutting up."

He didn't stop until they were further into the forest than she'd ever been. Nerves were pummeling her stomach and she couldn't imagine where they might be going.

"All right. We're here. Keep totally quiet."

Here was nothing more or less than any other part of the forest had been. All the trees were identical to the other ones they'd passed – she couldn't figure out what had induced him to stop.

"Just wait," he breathed as though he could hear her thoughts.

They didn't have to wait long. It was only moments before they heard voices and several more before there were footsteps. Lily found herself leaning into James. For some unknowable reason, when his hand landed on her arm, she didn't even shrug it away.

"Sirius?"

A peaked looking boy came into view, clad in Slytherin robes. Lily thought she recognised him – maybe a third or fourth year – and wondered what he could possibly want with sixth year, bad boy Black.

"Regulus."

She felt James stiffen as Sirius came into view.

"I wasn't sure you'd really come."

"Oh, come off it, Reg. You didn't think I'd turn down a chance to catch up with my baby brother, did you?"

Of course – their features were strikingly similar now that Lily knew the connection. What in Merlin's name was Sirius doing meeting with his younger brother so late? And why did James insist on steeling away after them?

"I didn't ask you here to catch up, Sirius."

"No? So this isn't some perverse attempt to make right with your old favourite sibling?"

"You know it's not."

"Then why not come out with it, Reg? I can think of about a million things I'd rather do than be here right now. For instance, there are some needles I could plunge into my eye sockets, centaurs that need angering – maybe someone's vomit I could clean off Myrtle's bathroom floor…"

"Shut up, Sirius!"

"Don't get so worked up, little brother."

"I mean it, Sirius! I came here to give you one last chance."

"One last chance for _me_? Oh Reggie. You overestimate your own prowess. Always have."

"Who said anything about _my own_ prowess?"

Three more figures stepped out from behind trees. Next to Lily, James groaned.

"I tried to tell the fool. He insisted on coming alone. Now he's out numbered," he hissed, barely loud enough for her to hear.

Sirius began to laugh, but even Lily could hear the nervous edge.

"Is this what your precious master trains you in, brother? The art of cowardice?"

"Oh come off it. As if you don't have all three of your stupid friends right around here somewhere."

"I don't, Regulus. Turns out, Gryffindor men are men of their words. I swore to come alone."

"He'll kill me if I show myself now." James was muttering to himself, wand raised under the cloak. Lily knew he was right – even if she thought it was a mad, brawny notion, she knew that honour meant everything to all of the marauders. She had learned as much during rounds with Remus.

Very well. If James wouldn't do anything, she certainly would. In one swift move, Lily stepped out from under the cloak.

"_Lily_!"

"BLACK!"

Both boys by that name swiveled around to face her.

"Evans! Good Godric, get your perfect prefect's self out of here!"

"I told the headmaster, Sirius. You and your little friends here have broken curfew one too many times. Several teachers are on their way – I suspect they wanted to give me a moment of leadership, though, and hung back for a moment. Ten points from Gryffindor. Ten from Slytherin a piece for each of you. I suggest you all clear out before the professors arrive."

"This isn't finished, Sirius."

Regulus Black and his friends seemed to melt into the shadows. Sirius spun on his heel to face Lily.

"Evans. It's not what it looks like."

"I know, you great prat!" she grabbed him by his sleeve and yanked him towards the grounds.

"What do you mean you _know?_"

James was suddenly standing there, cloak in his arms.

"You didn't think I'd let you walk into a trap like that all by your lonesome, did you?"

Sirius only looked angry for about a minute. He was distracted when a twig snapped and one more boy stepped out from behind a tree.

"Remus! Not you, too."

"We're not stupid, Sirius. I just can't believe you thought he'd really come by himself."

"Well I hoped. I didn't realise I would end up breaking my word too."

"You didn't – we came of our own accord."

Sirius glanced towards Lily and James again.

"Right – you, Evans. What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

"Saving you, obviously."

Sirius smirked. "Well done, Prongs. Found a woman to fight your battles for you."

"For _you_ more accurately," Remus said helpfully.

"I didn't want you to look like a bloody coward, Padfoot! I was still forming a plan when Evans here made her own."

Now Remus and Sirius both looked impressed.

"I owe you one, love." Sirius winked at her.

"Oh sod off."

Sniggering, he socked Remus in the shoulder. "Come on, Moony. I expect Wormtail will be wondering where we are. He hates to miss all the fun."

They sauntered back to the castle together, leaving Lily and James alone again.

"I would have figured out something."

She smirked. "'Course you would have, Potter."

"All right, all right, enough of your gloating. We'd best get you to bed."

Lily spun around. "Don't you patronise me! I saved his life and all of your faces."

"You're right, Evans. You did good."

She shrugged away from the arm he tried to throw around her shoulder.

"I know I did good, Potter. Doesn't mean you're not going to get detention for this."

"Oh, please! Now you know how important it was that I came down here."

"To preserve your masculine images? The height of necessity."

She began walking back to the castle. James ran to catch up with her.

"You wouldn't give me detention, Evans."

"Wouldn't I?"

"Nope. Not if you lost our wager."

"Oh we have a wager now, do we?"

"Yes. And if I make it back to Gryffindor tower before you do, I win and vice versa."

"So if I win, I can give you as many detentions as I'd like?"

"Yes."

"And if you win…?"

James's smirk stretched across his whole face. "If I win, you'll let me kiss you."

Lily scrunched her face in distaste but nodded reluctantly.

"Fine."

He waited for nothing else, already off and running.

Unbeknownst to James, she was sure, was the secret passageway leading from the grounds to the hallway next to the common room. Still, just to be safe, she jogged the length of it.

Lily fell through the portrait hole minutes later, disheveled and out of breath. She strode towards the nearest arm chair so as to look cool and collected for when he returned.

"Hello, love."

Aside from the instant of paralysing terror to find someone already in the chair, Lily felt a bit dizzy thinking of what she'd promised to do.

"How about that kiss?"

He stood, slowly approaching.

_How did he get here first?_

"Erm …" Wracking her brains for some way to salvage this (because she could not snog him. No. Never.) she cried, "Crossies! My fingers were crossed behind my back. Sorry."

James looked utterly baffled. "Whatever that means…"

"It means what I said doesn't count."

Now he just looked angry.

"Says who?"

"Everyone."

He took a few more steps forward and Lily couldn't move for the life of her.

"What if I don't care?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I do. I don't have to let you kiss me."

"Fine. Stop me, then."

And it was simple, really, how in the space of an hour she had her third and fourth kisses respectively.

Lily wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. Her brain logically could deduce that she found him devastatingly handsome. Her flipping stomach and shaky hands whenever he was around left her in no doubt that she was attracted to him, so some sort of physical reaction was only to be expected.

The physical zapping of all functioning capacity to move, breathe or think? The thoroughly teenage, clichéd, this-belongs-in-one-of-my-mum's-silly-romance-nove l thrill that sped to every square inch of her? The fact that her brain was in a fierce battle of wills with her hands, desperately trying to resist grabbing him until they just fluttered in the space between them? Not even sappy Lily Evans expected that.

Then there was no more space and she never wanted there to be.

And when she felt the slight pressure of his tongue against her lips, she did not take it as a cue to pull away.

And when he said her name – _Lily_ and the sound of it was foreign and lovely – she wanted him to say it again.

Several long moments later, Lily slumped against her closed dormitory door with wide eyes and nothing to say.

"James into any serious trouble?"

Lily blinked once. "Erm … no."

"Just the usual madness?"

"Yeah."

"James is a mess."

That was the problem – James was a mess. Benjy wasn't – not in the slightest. Benjy was good and safe and right – things that Lily craved in a world that was made dangerous for her because of someone else's choices. He was perfect, and attractive in all the ways she liked while James held that obnoxious, "I'm-a-bad-boy-but-still-too-good-for-you" persona that she hated in fiction and reality.

When Lily kissed James, though, she had to wonder if she'd been wrong about perfect all along.


End file.
